Chinkara sanctuary at Tumakuru notified

Bengaluru: The state government has notified Bukkapatna Chinkara Wildlife Sanctuary in Sira taluk of Tumakuru district.
Bukkapatna happens to be only the second protected habitat for the rare antelope in the state after Yedehalli in Bagalkot district. Spread over 148 sq km, Bukkapatna sanctuary will be larger than Yedehalli. Also, Bukkapatna will be the southernmost tip of the distribution range of chinkara in India.
The realisation of chinkara sanctuary in Tumakuru is attributed to the efforts of wildlife biologist Sanjay Gubbi, who first found chinkara at Bukkapatna as part of Nature Conservation Foundation’s camera trapping laid out to study leopard movement and proposed notifying a set of reserved forests as chinkara wildlife sanctuary.
The proposal was approved by the state board for wildlife under the chairmanship of chief minister HD Kumaraswamy in January and the related notification was issued on May Thursday.
Gubbi, who is now a member of the state board for wildlife, said scientific estimates show there are about 80 chinkaras in Bukkapatna area and it is perhaps the largest population in the state. “Bukkapatna has one of the finest woodland savanna habitats which have become highly endangered these days due to diversion of forestland for various developmental activities. Woodland savanna habitats are very unique with dispersed tree growth amid fine grasslands. Without understanding the value of such areas many activities are undertaken, destroying the natural habitat of many wildlife species that are unique to such places. Woodland savannas are very important for the survival of chinkaras,” he added.
Chinkara is now documented in Karnataka at three locations - Yedehalli, Bukkapatna and Rangayyanadurga Wildlife Sanctuary in Davanagere district.